Imagine this: a sales representative at your company needs to update customer information in your CRM system. She enters her login credentials, but the system rejects them. After a frustrating series of password resets and calls to IT, she finally gains access. But her ordeal isn't over yet. She still needs to log into several other applications: the marketing automation platform, the customer support portal and the internal communication tool – each with its own unique username and password. By the time she's done, the employee has wasted valuable time and energy, and her productivity has taken a nosedive.
Or take the CIO who got a completely new mission from the board: introduce a new line-of-business application in the shortest amount of time. The overhead and complexity of the existing identity management systems (some archaic, some modern but intimidating) are a major roadblock to quickly realize value on that LOB application investment, adding quarters after quarters to the launch in production.
Sound familiar? These scenarios are all too common in organizations that rely on disparate identity and access management (IAM) systems. While each system may serve a specific purpose, their lack of integration creates IAM challenges that hinder your business in more ways than you might realize.
The hidden costs of disparate IAM
The obvious cost of disconnected IAM is the financial one, albeit sometimes it’s difficult to pin down and quantify the exact figure with great accuracy. Maintaining multiple systems requires separate contracts, infrastructure and support. Each system generates its own set of help desk tickets, often related to password resets and login issues, further burdening your IT team. But the financial cost is just the tip of the iceberg of IAM challenges.
Disparate IAM systems also pose a significant security risk. Inconsistent access controls across different applications create vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. For example, a terminated employee's access might be revoked in one system but remain active in another, leading to potential data breaches. Additionally, managing multiple identity repositories increases the risk of errors and inconsistencies, further compromising security. The problem of identity silos is real: our own research shows that the median company uses 25 different systems to manage access rights.
From an operational perspective, disconnected IAM systems are a nightmare. Managing user identities, provisioning access and enforcing security policies across multiple platforms is a complex and time-consuming task. This administrative overhead drains resources and slows down business processes. Moreover, the lack of a centralized view of user identities makes it difficult to track who has access to what, hindering effective risk management and compliance efforts.
Speaking of compliance, meeting regulatory requirements like GDPR or HIPAA becomes a major challenge when identity data is scattered across different systems. Auditing access logs, demonstrating compliance, and responding to data subject requests become complex and error-prone tasks, increasing the risk of non-compliance and potential legal consequences.
The unified identity platform
Fortunately, there's a way to break free from IAM limitations. Unified identity platforms consolidate identity management into a single, centralized system, eliminating the problems associated with disparate systems.
By consolidating identity data into a single repository, unified platforms provide a comprehensive view of all users and their access rights. This simplifies identity management, streamlines user provisioning and deprovisioning, and reduces the risk of errors and inconsistencies.
Unified platforms also enhance security by enforcing consistent access controls across all applications. Strong authentication mechanisms like multi-factor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on (SSO) add layers of protection against unauthorized access. Additionally, centralized auditing and reporting capabilities make it easier to meet compliance requirements and demonstrate adherence to security policies.
From an operational standpoint, unified platforms automate many of the manual tasks associated with identity management, freeing up IT resources and improving efficiency. The ability to manage user identities and access rights from a single interface simplifies administration and reduces the risk of human error.
And finally, a unified identity platform is a real business enabler. By using pre-validated and pre-integrated modular components, it eliminates some of the complexity, accelerating time-to-value and ensuring that IAM is not a roadblock to CIO or CISO initiatives. Instead, it’s a platform to expedite delivery of new business-critical features and functions where it matters the most.
But how does a unified identity platform work in reality?
We have plenty of real-world cases that prove the tangible benefits of a unified identity platform. The legendary MTU Aero Engines, for example, uses One Identity Manager as a unifying tool to save 300 working days every year in IAM administration, increase scalability and cut audit task timeliness from days to mere minutes.
Smaller organizations, such as the Falkenberg local authority in Sweden, deployed Active Roles and Safeguard PAM technology as they decided to bring identity and privileged access management in-house. This allowed their team to more quickly execute their Zero Trust framework and comply with GDPR, while automating all possible processes.
Conclusion
Disconnected IAM systems are a major roadblock to business success. They drain resources, create security risks, hinder operational efficiency and complicate compliance efforts. However, by embracing unified identity platforms, organizations can break free from IAM challenges and unlock a host of benefits.
A unified identity platform isn't just a technical upgrade; it's a strategic investment that holds the power to transform your business. By consolidating identity management, enhancing security, improving efficiency and simplifying compliance, these platforms empower your organization to focus on what truly matters: achieving your business goals. It's time to say goodbye to IAM limitations and embrace the future of identity management. The time for unified identity is now.
